Recap of Public Consultation for the Strategic Plan (2026 2030)

The Initiation and Broken Expectations

In mid-September 2025, the Municipality announced a public consultation to gather "big ideas" from the community to shape the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan. In anticipation, a list of 20 questions was submitted to the Municipality regarding the methodology and safeguards of this process. While the Warden provided responses, the reality of the consultation frequently diverged from these official assurances. For example, despite the promise of "neutral facilitation" where facilitators would record comments exactly as spoken, later reports indicated that the primary analytical goal was to identify "shared themes" rather than documenting every specific "big idea."

Dismal Turnout and Verification Issues

A series of in-person sessions saw a total of only 43 participants, a figure the Municipality’s own summary admitted was "limited." Rather than adjusting the process to address this low engagement, the Municipality proceeded to an online survey that yielded an even more dismal participation rate of approximately 20 to 26 recorded entries.

A significant flaw in this digital phase was the inability to verify the authenticity of respondents. The survey lacked a mechanism to confirm that those providing input were actually residents of the municipality; in fact, the data confirms that several respondents identified as living in neighbouring towns or municipalities, such as the Town of Shelburne or Lockeport. Consequently, the feedback used to shape local policy included voices from outside the tax-paying community without any way to filter or authenticate the results.

Flawed Data and Ignored Feedback

The online survey was part of a strategy to "keep things simple" rather than using "complicated evaluations." This simplicity came at the cost of accuracy; while the survey captured free-form feedback, the project team (Council, staff, and Davis Pier Consulting) focused on finding "themes and patterns". This allowed the consultants to largely overlook the free-form responses, many of which were highly critical, describing the process as a "complete failure" based on "junk data".

The Approval of the Plan and the "Appendix B" Mystery

The FINAL 2026–2030 Strategic Plan was officially approved by Council on 26 November 2025. However, a secondary document titled the "Potential Action Items Working Document" (Appendix B) was later introduced, containing over 100 items intended for the early 2026 budgeting process. The origin of these 100+ items remains unexplained, as they were not part of the primary community discussion or the approved Strategic Plan.

A Strategic Failure in Clarity

As the Municipality nears the end of this session, the plan fails to identify clear, ranked priorities. The document states that it defines "direction rather than detailing specific activities" and that the Strategic Pillars are not listed in order of importance. Consequently, it remains impossible for a resident to identify a "top 3" priority list for the next four years. Ultimately, the Council has moved forward with a plan supported by a participation rate of under 1%, treating a flawed and unauthenticated process as a valid foundation for the community’s future.